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is dedicated to showcasing the work of new artists of all mediums and to discussing trends and ideas within art communities
knack’s ultimate aim is to connect and inspire emerging artists
we strive to create a place for artists, writers, designers, thinkers, & innovators to collaborate and produce a unique, informative, and unprecedented web-based magazine each month
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andrea vaca co-founder, director, photo editor, marketing will smith co-founder, digital operations ariana lombardi co-founder, executive editor jonathon duarte co-founder, design director miljen aljinovic editor fernando gaverd designer, digital operations, marketing jake goodman designer, photographer chelsey alden editor
cover laura san romรกn spreads a.c. vaca
knackmagazine1 at gmail.com
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featured artists 4 mason dowling 8 ben kline 14 pascal janssen 22 submission guidelines 30
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mason dowling
ben kline
Mason Dowling is 23 and living in New Mexico.
Ben Kline, 41, lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. Writer, runner, and blogger who loves coffee, wine and comic books.
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pascal janssen
Pascal Janssen was born on January 21, 1993 in Rekem, Belgium. He is currently located in Hasselt, Belgium. Janssen studied Visual Arts at Provinciale Kunsthumaniora in Hasselt; he has also received a BA in Painting at PXLMAD School of Arts in Hasselt.
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k:35
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knack an acquired or natural skill at performing a task an adroit way of doing something a clever trick or stratagem
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mason dowling
studio art
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The following photographs are from my studio throughout last year. The works are not yet completed, but the photos stand on their own as a documentation of my practice and processes.
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ben kline
creative writing
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The poems herein are a selection meant to highlight the various themes, moods, and humor explored in my second full length book of poems, which has the working title of Vague Nights Since 1991. Following a loose chronological path, the work explores modernity, particularly the nature of our digital lives and mobilized relationships, and creation as an act and as a formation of the self in our lives now largely stored in the clouds of internet servers. In writing, revising and curating the poems in the book, I constantly strive to have the poems remain accessible, melodic and observant, as well as funny or ribald when appropriate.
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THE STARLINGS
Starlings rule the valley’s north ridge from the polygonal spire of the power line tower, sentries maintaining orderly rows, their subsonic tweets snapping the regiment into formation without clear leadership but with certain purpose for the passing of evening into night, for the view on high and the counting of stars. The constellations are old gods the starlings refuse to worship. The regiment watches the celestial map pass, its wide angle arcing, twinkling signals to foolish sailors and impatient farmers who do not understand there are no signs. The heavens continue turning oblong. The starlings know. Their mustard beaks break moonlight, tricking eyes below, casting illusions of bats and lesser demons, of wolves pouncing midair. They swoop to snare delight, late dinner in a single descent ignoring mass or inertia, promising momentum an end only to sear an angle across a downdraft to return to the ridge. I admire their precision. It flouts the chaos embedded in what remains unseen.
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HOW TO BEHEAD A SNAKE
Grab the tail Without marketing Enthralling any audience. Shake it to confuse it1 And evade reactive bite. An absence of venom Does not prevent pain. The crowd you should Allay, not flay. Next, elongate your grip2 To ready your wrist. This move is a snap Not a whip cracked. 3 Be like a mistress Waiting in recline. Beware perspiration.4 Start your bladeless slice With a quick, loose flick. Follow with a solid yank Back into your chest, Awing those spectators And popping the snake’s head Clean from its glottis. 1
Not like a baby; just a wet
Those unblinking eyes
noodle.
Glisten like marbles
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Until nearby cats feast.
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This means fingertips only,
palms inward. 3
It’s not a belt. Yet.
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Be it heat or nerves: Especially
nerves. 5
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Dogs merely sniff.
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BURN YOUR MORNING WOOD
Once awake we sometimes see ourselves twice reflected while not dressed yet prepared to expose our sleeping parts to waning somnolence that queues against alarms in wait we handily dismiss until vanity decides we take what want clearly needs to imbue ourselves within images made to get laid.
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TWO CLOUDY DAYS
He ignored me for us: thus began two cloudy days of pennies placed in the brass pans of my grandmother’s Themis replica for each time he said conversate. I portrayed the jolly party, satisfying his need for my attention, guaranteeing the extension of our desire into nothing resembling a surfbort.
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FROM FRACTURE
Kiss who? Kiss where? I find you at a round corner table with your laptop, head down and fingers busy on the keys, your gnarled vermilion zone a lonely four layers of full pink lacking sweat glands, licked for nerves, for moisture as I approached with a smile whose meaning your green eyes understood in that impressive instant because men like a fix, because our heat rises from friction after fracture. Kiss me. Kiss here. Save your document. Start fire.
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WHY POETRY, A READER ASKED
I love the words and the words love me. We like to fuck on the balcony for any passing pedestrian to hear or see. Sometimes our clothes do not come off. Sometimes readers will feign and scoff. The words like my long reach, and I like them ready for the rough. In between the commas we go from tender to tough. I am a tall man and they like to climb. Giddy up, giddy down my long limbs. These interpolations are a process every writer redesigns, like a polyamorous marriage with rotating collaborators devising weekly house rules. The love remains persistent and every writer is inconsistent, dedicated only to the notes scaling the topographies between the words populating every blank page. I love those spaces too. The words let their music loose, seducing me by land or sea, revving me up like a tongue lapping my shaved balls, insisting I draw them down and pen them, hard.
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pascal janssen
studio art
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I’m a mixed media artist: I like to work with a lot of mediums and like to combine them. Most of my artwork is based on music and its subcultures. (That’s why I also design album covers.) I’ve always wanted to be a part of the music world, but I can’t play an instrument so I had to find my own way in. Most of my paintings and collages have a subtle psychedelic or melancholic atmosphere, which is why I also like to work with portraits. The psychedelic and melancholic aspects are based on the perception and subconscious of the human mind. Things like psychoses, depersonalization, hallucinations, anxiety & existential crisis intrigue me and I try to subtly integrate my perception of that into my portraits.
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digital forest
haze
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surf
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GĂ˜LĂ?
.
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trouble
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dust
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lapis lazuli
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mind flowers
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sun inhaler
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vision
the core
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photographers, graphic designers, & studio artists Up to 10 high resolution images of your work. All must include pertinent caption information (name, date, medium, year). If there are specifications or preferences concerning the way in which an image is displayed please include them.
submission guidelines
writers
images
KNACK seeks writing of all kinds. We will even consider recipes, reviews, and essays (although we do not prefer anything that is academic). We seek writers whose work has a distinct voice, is character driven, and is subversive but tasteful. We are not interested in fantasy or genre fiction. You may submit up to 25,000 words and as little as one. We accept simultaneous submissions. No cover letter necessary. All submissions must be 12pt, Times New Roman, double-spaced with page numbers and include your name, e-mail, phone number, and genre.
PDF TIFF JPEG
all submissions KNACK encourages all submitters to include an artist statement with their submission. We believe that your perspective of your work and process is as lucrative as the work itself. This may range from your upbringing and/or education as an artist, what type of work you produce, inspirations, etc. If there are specifications or preferences concerning the way in which an image is displayed please include them. A brief biography including your name, age, current location, and portrait of the artist is also encouraged (no more than 700 words).
written work .doc .docx RTF please include title files for submission with the name of the piece this applies for both writing and visual submissions
knackmagazine1@ gmail.com
subject: Submission (Photography, Studio Art, Creative Writing, Graphic Design)
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missed a submission deadline?
do not fear!
KNACK operates on a rolling submission system. This means that we will consider work from any artist at any time. Our “deadlines� merely serve as a cutoff for each issue of the magazine. Any and all work sent to knackmagazine1@gmail.com will be considered for submission as long as it follows submission guidelines. The day work is sent merely reflects the issue it will be considered for. Have questions or suggestions? E-mail us. We want to hear your thoughts, comments, and concerns. Sincerely, Ariana Lombardi, Executive Editor
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knack needs your help
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KNACK is requesting material to be reviewed. Reviews extend to any culture-related event that may be happening in the community in which you live. Do you know of an exciting show or exhibition opening? Is there an art collective in your city that deserves some press? Are you a musician, have a band, or are a filmmaker? Send us your CD, movie, or titles of upcoming releases which you’d like to see reviewed in KNACK. We believe that reviews are essential to creating a dialogue about the arts. If something thrills you, we want to know about it and share it with the KNACK community—no matter if you live in the New York or Los Angeles, Montreal or Mexico.
All review material can be sent to knackmagazine1@gmail.com. Please send a copy of CDs and films to 4319 North Greenview Ave, Chicago, IL 60613. If you would like review material returned to you include return postage and packaging. Entries should contain pertinent details such as name, year, release date, websites and links (if applicable). For community events we ask that information be sent up to two months in advance to allow proper time for assignment and review.
We look forward to seeing and hearing your work.
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